England Announces New Plan to Address Childhood Obesity

England’s government has decided to work with schools to raise awareness of childhood obesity.

As part of a new national measuring program, schools will record each student’s height and weight and send a letter to parents to notify them if their child has a weight problem. The country has changed its previous policy of only sending this type of information to parents if it was requested.

To avoid stigmatizing obese children and turning parents off to problems, however, the letter will call kids “very overweight” instead of “obese.” Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum said the decision was “prissy.” Fry explained that the United States had avoided the word “obese” for awhile, but reversed its thinking. “The Americans have gone back to using the term because it is the kind of shock word that makes parents sit up and take notice.”

The letters are drawing some criticism because they won’t include a child’s precise body mass index. A child’s results will simply be placed on a sliding scale. Health spokeswoman Sandra Gidley said, “The Government is clearly pussy-footing around this issue. Unless these letters are accompanied by practical help, then they will be a waste of time and resources.”

In the United States, researchers say childhood obesity rates have not increased since 1999. Obesity is still a concern, though, states Dr. Daniel Levy, because “this is the first generation of children that has a lower life expectancy than their parents’ generation.”

Two-thirds of adults and a third of children are overweight or obese in the United Kingdom. That number could rise to 9 out of 10 adults and almost two-thirds of children by 2050, according to The Guardian.

Professor Steve Field, a general practitioner and chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said he welcomed England’s plan to write to parents of obese children. “GPs take the issue of childhood obesity very seriously. It’s linked to an increase in diabetes that is quite alarming,” Field stated.

According to Ivan Lewis, a Health minister in England, most parents don’t realize that their child may be overweight or obese. Lewis said the country’s plan to notify parents if their child has a problem “isn’t about pointing the finger and telling parents that their children are overweight, it’s about equipping parents with the information they need to help their children live healthier lives.”

In an effort to fend off heart disease in adults, pediatricians are urging wider cholesterol screening in children and the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that kids as young as 2 and no older than 10 start receiving cholesterol screening if they have a family history of high cholesterol or heart attacks. Those who are obese, or have a limited family history, are encouraged to do the same.

Overweight children have a Body Mass Index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex, according to the 2000 CDC Growth Charts in the United States. The BMI is a simple calculation of height to weight.